Hello Salad: On the Light Side

The entrance sign, decorated with white lettering atop a bed of greenery, is eye-catching and fresh, while inside it feels like walking into a quiet garden in a bustling city. The dining room’s long, wooden, island table and a large vase of baby’s breath greets you past the door.

The decoration is modern and neat, with a Starbucks-style counter and white walls. I arrived at 6:30 p.m. As the sun gradually fell, the light of the chandelier shone down on the table, continuing the warm atmosphere.

The melancholy waiter and waitress, however, are a reminder that you are still in a city surrounded by stressed working people. Luckily, the food was worth a try and we queued in line to pick veggies and meat to add onto a base of leafy vegetables. The server recommended roasted beef and tuna.

My friend ordered the beef and ham to go with cucumbers, tomatoes and sweet corn. The black pepper-flavored beef is chewy and nice-looking, but the ham is a little too salty. While my friend said his food was “nothing special,” I quite enjoyed my choices.

I ordered tuna and crabmeat sticks, accompanied by kidney beans, broccoli and croutons, all nice complements to the field greens as it turns out. The crab and kidney beans were fresh and soft while the greens were crisp. And my favorite, croutons, provided a nice crunch. The broccoli, which is not overcooked, added a little bit of flavor and some crunch as well. I chose the thousand island dressing. Though recommended from the five available, it’s not amazing, but still OK.

Compared to second-rate cafes, the waffle was much better, not overly sweet with terrible strawberry jam. The top of the waffle was crunchy and the bottom was soft. The chocolate cream was sweet, but not overpowering.

Overall the restaurant is enjoyable. I may come again especially when I must remind myself to lose weight—since most of the customers were slim young girls who only ordered a salad, while I was complaining that they were out of croissants after finishing my salad and waffles.